Chi-Town Rumble ’89

(All screen captures are the property of World Wrestling Entertainment)

Chi-Town Rumble

February 20, 1989

UIC Pavilion

Chicago, Illinois

Since the WWF has their rumble, the NWA decided to have one of their own, but without the battle royal. The on-screen changes have begun at WCW. The most notable one is the look of the ring. They ditched the dingy off-color ropes they had been using for a more vibrant look of blue, white, and gold. This is my personal favorite look, and I wish they had stuck with it. It was a unique look for them. The other major change for this show is the fact that the Four Horsemen are technically no more. Arn Anderson and Tully Blanchard jumped to the WWF, and J.J. Dillon soon joined them. Dillon would take a behind the scenes job in the office, which he would hold for years to come. Flair and Windham continued their association, but they hired Japanese star, Hiro Matsuda, as their new manager. They stopped using the Horsemen name and the faction went on hiatus until later in the year. Butch Reed also joined them as part of Matsuda’s new stable of wrestlers. The on-screen reason for Dillon’s departure was that Flair fired him after Ric was pinned in a tag team match. The person who pinned him was the returning Ricky Steamboat, which sets up the main feud for this show.

The show opens with some 80s synthesizer music. Video clips of the different feuds fly at the screen before the Chi-Town Rumble graphic appears. Jim Ross and Magnum T.A. welcome everyone to the show and talk about the matches for the night. Ross says that four championships will be on the line. They talk about the main event and Magnum accidentally says that Steamboat is ready to take out the world’s heavyweight title. What did the title belt do to him? Then, they show a video package of different clips for each feud, which is set to some great 80s montage music.

Bob Caudle is backstage with Michael Hayes, who is way too hyped. Caudle says that it’s an important match in Hayes’ career, but I’m not sure why it would be. It’s pretty much a throwaway match. Hayes says he can feel it and then asks if Caudle can feel it. I don’t know what “it” is, but I don’t think I want to feel it. Michael screams that if you don’t feel it then you don’t have no feeling at all. He talks about the fans screaming because of the Chi-Town Rumble where careers might take a stumble. He’s a poet and he apparently is well aware of it. He screams about all the titles on the line tonight. Then, he says that when you hear the music it’s time for him to do his stuff. He yells that it’s show time and heads to the ring, but he never once mentions his opponent.

Michael Hayes vs. Russian Assassin #1 (w/ Paul Jones)

Hayes comes to the ring to his song “Bad Street USA”. Other than Flair’s theme, this is the only song not dubbed over on the network. Michael is facing Russian Assassin #1, who is once again Jack Victory under a mask. Poor Jack has to pull double duty tonight and it’s not really worth it for such a pointless match. Cappetta introduces the participants and sounds almost surprised when he announces Hayes’ weight.

The two men lock-up to a stalemate before the Assassin grabs a very long side headlock. Eventually, they transition into a drop down/leapfrog spot, but Hayes puts on the brakes and punches him. The two men fight back and forth, as Ross says that Hayes has a “Charles Manson-like stare”. Oddly enough, it sounded like Ross considered this a compliment. The Assassin misses a Russian Sickle and fails an atomic drop attempt, so Hayes begins to work on his arm. The Assassin tries to fight back and even throws Hayes out of the ring, but Michael lands on his feet and goes back to the armbar. The Assassin fights out again and they do another drop down/leapfrog spot, but this time the Assassin knees Hayes in the gut. He fights Hayes into a corner and rakes his eyes across the ropes before hitting a weak Sickle for a 2 count. The Assassin then chokes him and grabs another headlock, but Hayes fights back and hits a cross body for a 1 count. The Assassin manages to hit another Sickle, but still only gets a 2, so he goes back to the headlock. Hayes fights back and they trade clotheslines. The Assassin senses he’s in trouble, so he distracts the ref so that Jones can hit Hayes with a cheap shot. Hayes eventually blocks and reverses an attempt to ram him into the turnbuckles. He then goes for a bulldog, but the Assassin shoves him away. Then, Hayes reverses a suplex attempt but misses an elbow drop. The Assassin attempts a corner charge, but Hayes moves and then hits 10 punches in the corner. The Assassin makes one last mistake of ducking for a back drop, which allows Hayes to hit a DDT for the win.

This match went 15 minutes. It had no business going that long. It was slow and uninteresting. It’s especially bad when you realize that Jack Victory had to wrestle again on this night. Pacing would always be an issue for WCW. They had a bad habit of giving too much time to the matches that didn’t need it.

Winner: Michael Hayes

Bob Caudle is backstage with Ricky Steamboat and his family. Ricky is holding little Richie, who keeps trying to grab the microphone. Steamboat says that the moment of truth has come. Ricky is out of breath for some reason. I’m guessing he had been chasing Richie around before the promo started. He says that he’s basing all of his strength on his family. He doesn’t care what records Flair is trying to break. He’s not OJ Simpson going after Jim Brown or an Olympian going after a medal. He’s going after the championship around Flair’s waist. He then says that his family is going to bring it back together and the unit is here to stay. He finishes by saying that he’s fighting for all the people that work 9 to 5. Doesn’t he know that’s no way to make a living?

Sting vs. Butch Reed (w/ Hiro Matsuda)

Both men are already in the ring. I don’t know if that’s how it was on the broadcast or they edited it so they didn’t have to dub over the music. Reed immediately gets in Sting’s face and the two men shove each other.

The shoving continues and Sting hits an atomic drop, so Reed regroups with Matsuda. Butch is reluctant to lock-up again, so Sting does a little war cry to fire up the crowd. They lock-up and Reed complains of hair pulling while Jim Ross tells everyone that they wrestle here in the NWA. I’m guessing that’s a shot at the WWF for having a posedown at their PPV. Reed begs off into a corner before locking up again and grabbing a headlock. Sting fights back and leapfrogs him a couple of times, but Reed blocks his hip toss. Sting tries dropkicks instead, so Reed bails outside, once more. He re-enters the ring and gets caught in a headlock that he has trouble escaping. Then, the two men trade attempted shoulder blocks and Sting tries a backslide. Reed keeps finding himself in trouble to armbars and wristlocks and Sting even bites at his arm when the ref isn’t looking. Jim Ross pretends like he doesn’t see it. Reed finally takes control by throwing Sting out of the ring and catching him at the ropes. He chokes him and hits a snake eyes onto the top rope before hitting a double axehandle for a 2 count. Reed then distracts the ref so that Matsuda can choke Sting. Magnum says that “those Orientals” know about pressure points. Reed locks in a headlock that lasts forever. Sting keeps trying to fight back, but Reed pulls him down by both the tights and Sting’s own rat-tail. He uses the ropes for leverage, but referee Teddy Long eventually catches him. Sting finally fights back and attempts a Vader Bomb, but Reed gets his knees into Sting’s gut. Reed then attempts a clothesline and misses, which sends him out of the ring. Sting suplexes him back inside for a 2 count. Reed answers back by sending Sting outside and catches him at the ropes. He snap mares him back inside and hits a neckbreaker, but it only gets a 2, so he goes back to the headlock. He starts pulling at the tights for leverage, but I’m unsure how that logically works. Sting eventually breaks free with a jawbreaker and the two men trade missed clotheslines. Sting hits his third attempt and then back drops Reed. They fight back and forth at the ropes and Sting goes for a sunset flip. Reed reverses it and tries to use the ropes for leverage, but Teddy long kicks his hands away and Sting finishes the flip for the win.

This match was slightly better than the opener, but it went too long as well. It had shades of good stuff, but there were long holds that killed the momentum. If they had paced the match a bit better and shaved off a few minutes, then it might have been better.

Winner: Sting

The two of them continue fighting after the bell. They brawl until Sting finally knocks Reed out of the ring.

Backstage, Bob Caudle welcomes Paul E. Dangerously and Randy Rose, but he’s shocked to see Jack Victory instead of Dennis Condrey. Paul says that he’s throwing everyone off their game. Cornette knows Condrey best, so Paul E. told Dennis to stay home. He brought in Victory because Cornette knows nothing about him. He says that you can’t win if you’re not prepared for your opponent. He then calls Cornette and the Midnight Express a disease and says they’re going to cure it.

Paul E. leads his team to the ring, but first Caudle is with Cornette and the Midnight Express. Caudle says that Paul E. has thrown a monkey wrench into the works. Stan Lane replies that make no mistake about it, tonight is the biggest night in their careers, but they’re ready. Cornette calls Paul E. a garbage mouthed punk who would stab anyone in the back. Something tells me that Jim meant every word of that line. Cornette then says that Condrey might be running scared or he’s hiding in the back. Jack Victory might be younger and stronger, but they’ve been underdogs before and came out on top. He says that they’re staying in the NWA and then leads his team to the ring.

Loser Leaves the NWA Match: The Midnight Express & Jim Cornette vs. The Original Midnight Express & Paul E. Dangerously

The person who takes the fall in this match will have to leave the NWA. Both Jim Cornette and Paul E. are competing in the match as wrestlers. As you can tell form the pre-match interviews, Dennis Condrey is nowhere to be found. The real reason for this is that Condrey left WCW because he didn’t like the new booker, George Scott. Cornette is dressed to wrestle in a ridiculous full-body spandex outfit, but Paul E. is wearing sweats. Cornette tries to convince Paul E. to start the match with him, but Paul tells Rose to handle it.

Stan Lane and Randy Rose start the match. The two of them fight back and forth and trade drop toe holds before Lane hits a shoulder block. Paul E. laughs as Rose takes control of the match, but Lane throws Randy off the top rope and clotheslines him out of the ring. Rose then tags Victory, as the audio becomes a little weird for a moment. The Midnights take control and Cornette enters the ring to assist in a drop toe hold/elbow drop combo. Lane and Eaton tag in and out to control Victory and Eaton holds Rose in place so Cornette can slap him. Rose retakes control of the match and decides to return the favor. He holds Lane for Paul E. to slap, but Paul turns to taunt the crowd. Lane takes advantage of the opening and switches places with Rose, but Paul E. doesn’t know. He turns to slap Lane and hits Rose instead. Rose is furious, which leaves him distracted. Lane rolls him up for a 2 count, so Rose bails outside for a breather. He lures Eaton to the apron where he launches him into the guardrail. Eaton is in trouble, so Paul E. finally tags into the match. He thumbs his nose at Cornette and starts stomping Bobby. Eaton shows signs of fighting back, so Paul E. quickly tags out to Rose. Cornette then tags into the match and demands that Paul face him. Jim tries to charge at Paul, so Rose attacks him and tags Paul E. into the match. Paul stomps on Cornette and punches him before covering for a 2 count. Jim tries to fight back, but Paul rakes his eyes and rams him into the corner. Paul E. makes the mistake of posing for the crowd, so Cornette gets up and punches him. Paul quickly tags Rose and he and Victory take turns beating on Cornette. Eaton comes into the ring and hits a bulldog, which opens the door for Jim to tag Stan. He kicks Jack Victory into a corner, but Paul E. distracts him so that Rose can tag in and take control. He hits a powerslam and knocks Lane to the outside. They use ref distractions to cheap shot Lane on the floor and then Rose hits a side slam for a 2 count. Rose then goes for a pulling piledriver, but Lane back drops him. It’s not enough. Rose and Victory tag in and out and continue the attack until Lane finally makes a hot tag. Eaton comes in and hits a back drop, a slam, and a missile dropkick before forcing Victory to tag Paul. Cornette tags in and slaps and punches Paul E. before hitting a clothesline. Rose tags in, so Cornette commando rolls to his corner for a tag. Everyone ends up in the ring for a brawl and Rose misses a flying splash. The ref can’t get control and the Midnight Express hit a double team flapjack for the 3 count on Randy Rose, which means he now has to leave the NWA.

This was a fun match. Cornette and Heyman made it highly entertaining, as they usually do. This wouldn’t be the end of the Cornette/Paul E. feud, despite the stipulation. I’m fine with that because I enjoy it.

Winners: Midnight Express & Cornette

Bob Caudle is backstage with Ric Flair and Hiro Matsuda. Bob says that Flair has faced many challenges, but now he’s facing Steamboat. Flair tells him not to get so excited. He has wrestled every great wrestler in the world and the bottom line is he’s in Chicago tonight as the World Heavyweight Champion. He says when Steamboat sees the “golden stallion” looking as only he can look, he better not be ashamed of the butterflies. Steamboat has to go out there and beat the world champion. Flair says that he has the greatest mind in Hiro Matsuda and tonight Chicago is going to be on fire. Whoa Ric, poor choice of words. It’s still too soon for fire jokes. He then finishes by saying that whether you like it or you don’t like it, learn to love it because it’s the best thing going today.

NWA TV Title Match: Mike Rotunda vs. Rick Steiner (c) (w/ Scott Steiner)

Both men are already in the ring and Scott is there! Rick’s brother, Scott Steiner, has finally arrived and I’m pretty sure his presence gives Rick a 141 & 2/3% chance of winning. Rick is wearing mismatching boots and knee pads, for some reason. I’m guessing it’s part of his simple-minded gimmick.

Rick quickly hits a headlock takeover, so Rotunda bails out of the ring. He sees Scott and decides to head back inside where he hits a fireman’s carry takeover. However, Rick answers back with one of his own. Steiner fights off Mike’s hold attempts and the two men end up shoving each other. They do some mat wrestling, which sends Rotunda out of the ring and the camera shows us random fans with faces painted on their hands. Rotunda re-enters the ring and Steiner goes for his leg, but Mike makes it to the ropes and cheap shots him. Rick tries to respond with a Steinerline, so Rotunda bails again. He goes back in, but Rick hits a shoulder block, hip toss, and finally hits the Steinerline. Rick makes a cover, but Rotunda gets a foot on the ropes. Steiner then grabs a headlock and Rotunda keeps going to the hair to try and break it. He finally makes it to the ropes for a break and then extends a hand for a handshake. Rick refuses the offer and yells at him, so they fight until Rotunda locks in an abdominal stretch. He uses the ropes for leverage, but Scott keeps warning referee Teddy Long until he catches him. Long kicks his hand away and Rick tries to reverse the hold into a pin, but Rotunda is in the ropes. Rick clubs him a few times and then blows a snot rocket onto him, so Rotunda bails out of the ring again. Mike stalls for a bit and they fight into a corner. Rotunda gets a cheap shot and goes for a cross body, but Rick reverses it for a 2 count. They go back to the mat wrestling and grappling until Rick misses a flying splash. Rotunda then sends him outside where he rams him into the post and kicks him. Rick fights back and hits a powerslam, but he pauses and only gets a 2 count. Then, Kevin Sullivan arrives at ringside with a microphone. He says something about Steiner’s pet dog, which is backstage. Rick is distracted, which gives Rotunda time to recover and hit a powerslam. He rams Rick from corner to corner, but Rotunda misses a dropkick. Rick hits 10 punches in the corner and grabs a sleeper hold. He fights off an attempt at a reversal and grabs the sleeper again. However, Rick falls to the mat and doesn’t seem to realize that his shoulders are down. The ref counts 3 and Rick thinks that Rotunda gave up, but Teddy Long raises Rotunda’s hand in victory.

This was a decent match, but that ending was a bit lame. There is no consistency to when Rick’s lack of intelligence does or doesn’t affect the match. He’s smart enough to know all of these holds, but apparently, he’s dumb enough to not realize his shoulders are on the mat that one time. Magnum even says that Steiner pinned himself in the match.

Winner: Mike Rotunda (New champion)

Next, Caudle is backstage with The Road Warriors and Paul Ellering. Bob says that the Warriors have a tough challenge in the Varsity Club. Hawk corrects him by saying that it’s a tougher challenge for the Varsity Club. He then compares Chicago to the O-K Corral at high noon, but they used bullets and the Road Warriors won’t. Animal says that dead men can’t feel pain and all of the people in Chicago are cheering for them to rip off Sullivan’s head. Paul Ellering then says that the cards are dealt and it’s time to play the hand. He tells the Varsity Club that they’re facing the best team in wrestling.

NWA U.S. Title Match: Lex Luger vs. Barry Windham (c) (w/ Hiro Matsuda)

Now that Luger is done feuding with Flair, it’s time for him to get revenge on Barry Windham finally. Barry had turned on Luger to join the Horsemen, months prior. It’s funny that by the time they got around to finishing this feud, the Horsemen had disbanded. Both men shove each other before the match starts and then go straight into the action.

They trade hold attempts and then circle each other for a moment. Windham attempts a shoulder block, but then Luger leapfrogs him. Luger grabs a sleeper hold and Windham suplexes him, but Luger immediately is up again. Lex then hits an atomic drop and a press slam, so Windham regroups with Hiro. Windham tries to take control by raking the eyes, but Luger reverses a whip and goes for 10 punches in the corner. Windham tries to turn it into an inverted atomic drop, but Luger blocks it and hits a clothesline. He then back drops Barry and gets a 2 count. Luger then hits a powerslam and goes to the top rope, but he misses a flying clothesline and falls out of the ring. Windham rams him into a table and into the apron before suplexing him into the ring. He signals for the Iron Claw, but he misses it. He punches Luger around the ring and Lex appears to be bleeding above his eye. I guess they better end the match then, right? Barry then clotheslines him out of the ring again and rams him into the guardrail. Next, he attempts to punch Luger, but Lex ducks and Windham accidentally punches the ring post. He appears to have hurt his hand. When he punches Luger, he recoils in pain. His hand is even bleeding a little bit. He keeps punching, but each one hurts. He even locks in an Iron Claw, but he has to fight through the pain. Luger attacks the hand to get free and the ref tries to check on Windham. Barry brushes him away and manages to hit a powerslam, but Lex powers out at the 2 count. Windham fights through the pain to hit a superplex, but it still only gets a 2. He then hits a back suplex into a bridge, but both men’s shoulders are on the mat. Luger lifts his shoulder just before the 3 count, so he is declared the winner and new champion.

The crowd was hot for this match and they were telling a great story, but I’m surprised the hand didn’t factor into the finish. Other than that, it was a really good match. It felt like they were trying to gain some sympathy for Windham. At least, that’s what I thought until the post-match antics.

Winner: Lex Luger (New champion)

Windham is angry about the loss, so he attacks Luger after the match. He piledrives Lex onto the title belt and leaves the ring. Luger is up way quicker than he should have been and celebrates with the belt.

Next, Bob Caudle interviews new TV Champion, Mike Rotunda. Bob calls Mike lucky and Rotunda says he’d expect something like that from him. Mike then almost calls himself the World Heavyweight Champion, but he quickly corrects that. He says he had it planned all along and ten years from now no one will care how he did it. All they will care about is who won. He says that he got the title back that Steiner stole from him and Rick better stay out of his face because he will be champ for a long time.

NWA World Tag Team Title Match: The Road Warriors (c) (w/ Paul Ellering) vs. The Varsity Club

Yet again, both teams are already in the ring. The Varsity Club team consists of Sullivan and Steve Williams. I believe that the Varsity Club were still U.S. Tag Champs, but their titles weren’t on the line.

Animal and Sullivan start the match. Sullivan fights him into the corner and attempts a clothesline, but it does nothing. Sullivan then gets a foot up on a corner charge and attempts a flying cross body, but Animal turns it into a powerslam for a 2 count. Williams tags into the match and trades shoves with Animal, as an “L.O.D.” chant starts. The Road Warriors were already using the “Legion of Doom” nickname. Williams then attempts a couple of ineffective shoulder blocks and some clubbing blows, but Animal hits a powerslam and tags Hawk. Williams takes a break to the outside and then re-enters the ring to surprisingly press slam Hawk, but he misses an elbow drop. Hawk answers back with a clothesline and then draws Sullivan into the ring. The Road Warriors use the momentary distraction to hit a double clothesline, but it gets a 2 count to Jim Ross’ surprise. Sullivan and Animal fight into a corner, which draws Hawk into the ring. The Varsity Club use the ref distraction to pull Animal outside and hit him in the arm with a chair. They focus their attack on the arm and use more ref distractions to keep up the attack. Animal is finally able to tag out after both men go down to a double clothesline. Hawk comes in and cleans house with a powerslam, clothesline, and a flying shoulder block. However, Hawk and Williams fight to the floor while Animal fights with Sullivan. Animal lifts Sullivan up for the Doomsday Device, but Williams attacks from behind. Meanwhile, Hawk comes off the top with a flying clothesline. All four men are in the ring. Williams covers Animal while Hawk covers Sullivan and the ref counts 3. Hawk and Sullivan were the legal men, so only their pin counts, which gives The Road Warriors the win.

The match was fairly short, but they kept a good pace. There was some pretty good stuff in this, but the ending felt a little flubbed. I think their timing was off, so it became awkward.

Winners: The Road Warriors

Caudle is in the locker room with Lex Luger, who has a bandage around his head. Bob says that congratulations are in order for Luger, but it was a war out there. Luger calls it one of the most physical matches he’s been involved with and calls Windham a tremendous champion, like him or not. Luger mentions that he needs stitches and has a jammed neck. He also says that Windham broke his wrist, but neither is a heavy price to pay for the title. He then thanks the fans for their support and can’t find the words to say how much the title means to him.

Next, they show a recap of the Flair/Steamboat feud. They show clips of Steamboat pinning Flair in a tag team match. They also show Steamboat challenging Flair to a match. Flair is surrounded by women and tells them to look at what a real loser looks like. He tells Steamboat to go home and help his missus with the dishes. Steamboat attacks Flair in anger and starts ripping his suit. Flair fights back and the two men get into a chop-fest. Steamboat ends up climbing to the top rope and hits a flying cross body. He awkwardly covers him like it’s a match until Matsuda attacks.

NWA World Title Match: Ricky Steamboat vs. Ric Flair (c) (w/ Hiro Matsuda)

Steamboat is already in the ring and then Flair enters to the same remixed version of his theme from the last PPV. One of the women at ringside gives Ric some flowers and a kiss, as Ross talks about the first-ever NWA champion. He claims that the title goes back to 1905. However, that was a different NWA. The one that WCW is part of started in the 40s. WCW was notorious for trying to trace their lineage back to 1905, but it never works.

The two of them fight back and forth to start. They trade shoulder blocks and headlocks, but it quickly turns into a chop-fest. Steamboat hits a back drop and the chops begin to escalate. They trade holds and Steamboat gets a side headlock. Flair attempts to go to the corner for a break, but Steamboat walks up the turnbuckles and turns it into a headlock takeover. A small “Steamboat sucks” chant starts because the crowd is divided between the two men. They fight into the corner for another escalating chop-fest, so Flair bails outside for a breather, which draws some boos from the crowd. They fight back and forth and Steamboat knocks Flair outside. He then thinks about jumping off the top rope, but Flair moves. Ric then re-enters the ring and tries for a test of strength. Steamboat is reluctant, so Flair accuses him of having no guts. Steamboat ends up hitting a hip toss, flying head scissors, and a headlock takeover for a 2 count before settling on a side headlock. Flair pulls the hair to break free and they trade some more elbows and chops until Steamboat sends Flair over the ropes. Flair pulls him outside and rams him into the guardrail before they end up fighting at the ropes again. Ric brings him inside, drops a knee, and gets a few 2 counts on pin attempts. He even tries a double arm suplex, but it only gets a 1. The chops ramp up again and Steamboat whips Ric into the corner for a Flair bump. Ric then goes to the top rope and surprisingly hits a flying cross body, but Steamboat reverses it into a pin for a 2 count. Ricky then hits 10 punches, but Flair turns it into an inverted atomic drop and locks in the Figure Four. He uses the ropes for leverage, as a “Steamboat” chant starts. Referee Tommy Young apparently has no peripheral vision because it takes him forever to catch Flair cheating. He finally makes Ric break the hold and another brutal chop-fest begins. Both men go over the top rope and the chops continue on the floor. Flair eventually suplexes him back into the ring for a very close 2 count, so he attempts some more covers. None of them work, so Flair gets into a shoving match with Young. He then hits Steamboat with a backbreaker and tries to pin him with his feet on the ropes. Young’s terrible eyesight prevents him from seeing it. Steamboat then misses a cross body, but the two men reverse through some pin attempts. Flair barely escapes pin attempts on a suplex and a backslide. Ricky hits a desperation clothesline and a flying chop before signaling that he’s going up top again. He hits a flying cross body, but Young is taken out in the process. Steamboat tries to revive him, but Flair rolls him up for a pin. However, Young is still out cold. Ric dumps Steamboat over the top rope, but Ricky lands on the apron and goes to the top again. He misses a flying cross body and Flair goes for a Figure Four, but Steamboat rolls him up. Another ref slides into the ring and counts the 3 count, giving Steamboat the win. The crowd goes mental as Steamboat is announced as the winner.

This was an amazing match. These two are so good at setting the pace of a match and building to a crescendo. The chops in this match were brutal at times but in a good way. This is one of the all-time classics. It was a Flair/Steamboat match that hooked me on wrestling, so I have a soft spot for this feud.

Winner: Ricky Steamboat (New champion)

Ross and Magnum recap the match before throwing it back to Caudle, who is with the new champion. Steamboat says it’s hard for him to believe what he’s holding in his hands after all these years. Some wrestlers arrive and give him a champagne bath, so Ricky grabs a bottle and takes a drink. He then pours some on his own head, but it gets in his eyes. His temporary blindness throws him off his game, so he stumbles through the rest of his promo. He says that he will be a champion for the people. Someone thankfully wipes his face with a towel, but the promo is already a mess. He says that he tips his hat to Flair and promises to give Ric a rematch soon. Poor Steamboat, he can’t catch a break in his promos at this show.

Ross and Magnum then recap the show and say goodnight, as the credits roll.

Final thoughts:

The first half of this show was shaky, but the second half more than made up for it. The amazing main event was enough to make this a fairly solid event. It was nice to see someone finally dethrone Flair. It would be short-lived, but it was still a great moment.

My next review will be WrestleMania V.